1. Technical Field
This description pertains generally to wound monitoring, and more particularly to monitoring pressure ulcers and wound healing via impedance spectroscopy.
2. Background Discussion
Pressure ulcers are formed by constant pressure or rubbing applied to an area of skin that results in breakdown of the skin and formation of an ulcer. Formation of pressure ulcers is considered a “never event”—an inexcusable, adverse event that occurs in a healthcare setting. Hospitalized patients are prone to developing these ulcers because of the large amounts of time they spend in a bed, where pressure is often localized to certain areas of the body (commonly the sacrum, coccyx, heel, or hips). Patients with diabetes or who are obese are particularly at risk. Hospitals spend billions of dollars each year to prevent formation of pressure ulcers in their patients, as many current solutions (pressure-distributing beds, repositioning patients every few hours, etc.) are incredibly expensive and/or labor-intensive. A device that could sense when a pressure ulcer may form before it forms would provide great cost-savings to hospitals.
Chronic cutaneous wounds affect millions of people each year and take billions of dollars to treat. These patients have wounds that do not follow the natural progression of healing or take greater than 2 months to heal. In these situations, patients often have frequent doctor's visits (on a weekly or more often basis) to monitor the wound healing process and direct treatment. Monitoring of a wound can be very subjective—different doctors have different ways of measuring wound size (ruler, tracing on a sheet of clear plastic), and length of clinical experience can play a significant role in ability to identify relevant wound characteristics. Using a device to take objective measurements of a wound can help direct and standardize patient care. By adding wireless functionality, the monitoring process could also be done remotely, saving patients time and money.